As we were planning our DC vacation, I read descriptions of various attractions to my family and they rated each attraction on a scale of 1 to 10. My kids’ first impression when I mentioned the Bureau of Printing and Engraving was, “Boring!” Then, when I read the description and explained that this was the factory where they print money, they were suddenly a lot more interested.

First things first, let’s talk about getting tickets, which are free, by the way. If you want to visit during the non-peak season (September – February), no tickets are required. From March through […]

The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, more commonly known as just the National Zoo, in Washington, D.C. has been in the news recently with excitement of the birth of a panda cub, and subsequently the tragic news of the cub’s death. In fact, when I started writing this article, the cub was alive, so I’ve had to rewrite parts of it. My daughter and I were both very excited about the cub and were distraught to read of her death.

Nevertheless, despite the disappointment of not having a panda cub, the opportunity to view the adult pandas is still an excellent […]

Washington, D.C. has a lot of memorials. Tourists with a limited amount of time need to pick and choose which ones they really want to see. I’m glad we decided to include the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon in our plans. One of the DC Area’s newer memorials, it was designed to provide a thought-provoking experience while reflecting on the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The memorial was designed by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman of the architectural firm of Kaseman Beckman Advanced Strategies and was opened to the public on Sept. 11, 2008.